night changes [zarry]

xxvi

"Baba!" Laila yells from upstairs, Jamie echoing with "Zain!"

Zain sighs, stopping in clearing up the living room with an eyeroll towards Harry, his hand brushing Harry's shoulder causally as he starts walking upstairs.

Harry stares at the mess their children have left in the room, pushing himself up to gather the debris. He winces when he tries to put weight on his foot, hopping forward to at least straighten the table.

"Sweetheart," Zain says, a bit sharp, when he comes back. "Sit down."

"Stupid ankle," Harry grouses, glaring slightly as he lets himself fall onto the couch. He hasn't even helped the slightest bit, even the attempt useless. "Why does it take so long to heal?"

Zain huffs an amused breath, leaning down to kiss Harry quick and soft. "Don't think I've ever seen you this annoyed, sweetheart. What's wrong?"

"You're tired," Harry says, because Zain was. He was working mostly from home so that he could do school runs and grocery runs and be there when Harry was watching the kids in case the kids needed more than a useless mum with his foot elevated. He made up for the time missed after the kids were in bed or on the weekend and Harry knows he needs to rest more.

"You're taking care of everything and working and I can't help you and when I try you won't let me," he says sharply, before he catches himself, blinking up at Zain. "Sorry," he adds, ducking his head. "I'm grateful, I don't mean to snap."

"Hey," Zain says softly, catching Harry's face between his hands. "You're allowed to be annoyed, love. A hurt foot is annoying. Not being able to do things is annoying, especially when you're used to managing all on your own, yea?"

Harry nods, leaning forward slightly.

Zain smiles at him, soft and sweet, kissing him. "I know if sucks," he says, stroking Harry's cheek. "But you'll just have to endure it for a while longer. And don't worry about me."

"You're tired, though," Harry says, touching his thumb below Zain's eye carefully. "I don't like it."

Zain smiles at him. "This project is done in two weeks, I already said I'd take some time off after. Two weeks isn't much, is it?"

"No," Harry admits, letting Zain kiss him again. He still doesn't like it, not being able to take care of anything and seeing Zain's exhaustion. But Zain really did not let Harry do more than the bare minimum, no matter how sneaky Harry tried to be.

"I'll start dinner," Harry says, getting up when Zain pulls away to keep picking up the living room's debris.

"Sit down for it and put your foot up," Zain says firmly, shooting Harry a look.

"Yes," Harry nods, kind of wanting to roll his eyes except it made him feel warm and happy whenever Zain looked out for him.

He thinks about going upstairs later and sharing a bed with Zain again. They haven't really done much, because first Zain had said he wanted to take his time and then Harry had been hurt and somehow it was like they had gone past honeymoon phase straight to boring couple with four kids and no time or energy for sex, but Harry hasn't had to take a pain killer in days and every time Zain touches him he felt sparks course through him and settle low in his belly.

He thinks he will ask tonight. The kids are good, used to the new arrangements by now and hadn't come to seek Harry's bed the whole week and Harry was going to have a shower tonight and Zain'a hand had been wandering more those past nights, looking for skin and holding Harry tight, so Harry's almost sure Zain wouldn't turn him down.

"What's for dinner?" Laila asks, bouncing into the kitchen and poking her head under Harry's arm to look at the recipe he's spread before him. He was meant to grab the ingredients but he has been distracted by possibilities.